The Cure
by MistressArafaxdeep
Summary: A former comrade discovers an injured Kimimaro. They go on an adventure to find a cure for his illness. What will happen when old and new feelings surface? KimimaroXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hooray for me feeling the need to write a Kimimaro story. And so begins my foray into the world of my OC and Kimimaro. Hope you enjoy. It will be multichapter, but I don't know exactly how many chapters there will be.**

* * *

Hearing the telltale sound of battle, the black-haired former med nin felt the need to investigate. She stealthily crept along, keeping herself below the notice of the battling shinobi. Peering out from behind a bush, she blanched. _He _was there. 

"Kimimaro," she whispered coarsely. "Why are you here?" She watched the battle proceed. The red-headed boy, who she figured to be Sabaku no Gaara because he was using sand, was quite obviously holding his own against Kimimaro. But Satomi knew from her past with the Kaguya that Kimimaro'd win. He always did. She watched the seals formed by the redhead, and realization of what he was doing dawned on her. She needed to get out of there fast or she'd get taken down in the rush of sand too. That end didn't appeal to her, so she used a substitution jutsu to get herself back on the road. She would give it a few hours and then she'd go look for him.

In the meantime, she glowered. She had to know what he was doing still alive. That fact alone was a testament to Kabuto's medical skills. But he still shouldn't have been able to reverse the effects Kimimaro's bloodline limit wreaked on his body.

Manipulating his bones had caused extensive damage to his lungs and other internal organs. Satomi had understood this, being part Kaguya herself. Her abilities were limited; she could only manipulate the bones in her hands. Making up for the fact that she could barely manipulate her own bones was that she could control the bones in other people's bodies. So the time she'd spent with Orochimaru was defined by her healing Kimimaro, making sure his bones stayed in the proper order. He was sloppy when it came to putting them back in the right places. He certainly would have died without her making sure they were aligned; she couldn't imagine why he would still be alive without her being there to ensure it.

She growled at the upwelling of old emotions his appearance was evoking. Pushing the unwanted feelings down, Satomi headed back towards the area she'd just fled, vowing that she wouldn't let her feelings for him control her. She had her own life now, one separate from the ninja world, and she couldn't be happier about it. She wouldn't let him drag her back into it. She liked her world of seclusion, where only those who wanted her to heal them sought her out.

She reached the now sand covered clearing, and with her exceptional ability to interpret details, she knew that everyone else was gone. But she heard a muffled cry from underground. Apparently Kimimaro had been buried, much to her surprise. The sand user would not have buried himself. She had to get him out, he was still alive. Her heart reached out to him. And for all her talk of ignoring her feelings for him, her resolve crumbled the moment she thought of permanently losing him again.

She sent out chakra to sooth and start healing him. Furiously she tore into the dirt, digging him up with her bare hands. She knew that she could get him out in time; the soil was loose and porous enough for him to have some oxygen.

It took an hour of nonstop digging to finally reach him. He was unconscious but still breathing when she finally pulled him out. She knew that she wouldn't have enough chakra to heal the damage that had no doubt had occurred to his rib cage and spine, but she could get his other, less intricate bones back in the correct positions.

After a while she felt her chakra reserves running low. Certainly, she could use her cursed seal, but she preferred not to. Her control over it wasn't very good, and she'd more likely harm him than heal him. So she picked him up, slinging him over her shoulder, and headed home.

* * *

When Kimimaro woke up, he was in an unfamiliar room. His chest cavity hurt too much for him to sit up, but he glanced around taking in as much of the little room as possible. He heard footsteps heading his way, so he stared at the ceiling pretending to not be paying attention. 

"You're awake," a very familiar female voice said.

Trying desperately to remember how he recognized the voice, he glanced over at her. He almost gasped as he stared at her in disbelief. "Satomi?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's me Kimimaro. I found you after your battle, buried underground."

Kimimaro grunted at her. "Why do you care if I die?"

She glared at him. "I don't." After a bit of silence she asked, "But tell me, why aren't you dead? You should have died without me."

"I was not allowed to fight after you left. They didn't have the ability to heal me, but I was far too valuable to use for petty missions and risk me getting injured. I was sent out to secure a new vessel for Orochimaru, a replacement for me. It was to be my final act of gratitude."

Satomi frowned at him. "Still Orochimaru's slave, I see."

He scowled. "I wanted to do it for him."

"Just like you wanted him to take your body."

"At least it would serve a purpose in this world that way!"

"There are other purposes!" Satomi screamed at him while running out of the room. He frowned. She'd gotten what was coming. She should have known he'd rather die than serve no purpose. But still, he'd never seen her get so worked up over something.

Hot, angry tears rolled down her face as Satomi sat in the kitchen crying in her frustration. Why couldn't he see how much she cared for him? Why? She dedicated her life to finding a cure for his damaged lungs, saving his life countless times, and yet, his main focus was still pleasing Orochimaru. Why couldn't he see that he'd been sent on the mission in hopes that he wouldn't come back, that they wouldn't have to worry about his health anymore? They didn't want him anymore.

She stood up and headed to the sink. Splashing cold water on her face, she washed her tears away. She had promised herself she wouldn't get emotional over him. He had already broken her heart once before, she wouldn't let him do it again. Straightening up, she wiped the wetness from her face and made herself some dinner.

When she'd finished, she made a broth for Kimimaro. She carried it out to him only to find that he'd fallen asleep. She gently touched his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open. He stared up at her with a look of confusion on his face. "What?" he demanded, attempting to sit up. This was an unwise decision on his part because he ended up screaming in pain from his damaged chest. Satomi placed the broth on the coffee table. Kneeling by his side, she pumped chakra into him. She had enough to fix the upper parts of his ribs, so she started forming them, shaping them in her mind and her chakra working them back into the right places.

The process was long and difficult. It took an immense amount of concentration to rebuild the shattered bones. And the procedure was painful for him. He would have writhed in pain the whole time if it weren't for the chakra she poured into him to control it. She wasn't used to using this high of a flow of chakra, so eventually she started to wane. But she wouldn't let herself quit.

Her cursed seal activated. Pulling away from him at the pain it caused her, she collapsed on the floor. She clutched at the left side of her neck, her face contorting as she tried to will away the aching throb. Kimimaro glanced down at her. "Weakling," he muttered. "Why don't you embrace the gift Lord Orochimaru gave you? The pain isn't as bad if you don't fight it."

She ignored him, hurting too much to give him an answer. Eventually the pain subsided and she was left sweating and shaking on the floor. Slowly standing up, she looked at Kimimaro. She glared at him. "I prefer to do things under my own strength, not with the power some egotistical maniac forced on me. Besides, I can heal you more effectively if I'm not feeling the euphoric surge of the cursed seal."

He grunted to which she returned a scowl. "Eat your broth," she instructed him. She handed him the bowl, and stamped out of the room. He peered down at the bowl in his hands, eyeing it skeptically. He put a spoonful to his mouth and sipped it carefully. It tasted alright, so he ate the rest of it. Eventually his body demanded sleep and he drifted off on the couch in Satomi's living room.

Satomi sat in her office, pouring over the research she had disregarded for two years. She had somehow managed to collect some of the Kaguya clan's lost medical history. She couldn't remember how or where she'd found it. It had seemingly just appeared in front of her and she had hidden it, not wanting Orochimaru to seek to gain more power from the secrets the old texts contained.

* * *

Kimimaro woke up to Satomi shaking him excitedly. "I figured out how to make you better," she told him exuberantly. "I know how we can heal your lungs permanently." 

His previously groggy eyes shot open. "What! I didn't think it was possible. How could you…"

She smirked at him. "I found some Kaguya clan medical history. Your condition was mentioned in it. It's called Chronic Lung Failure. From what I've gathered, if it weren't for me you'd have been dead already. The condition amplifies the effect of your bones bruising your internal organs. I'm not sure if I can repair the damage, but I can stop more damage from occurring."

"Wow," Kimimaro, said deep in thought.

Satomi frowned then. "There is a slight problem though. We have to find a special ingredient in order to make the medicine. It's called a Bone Flower. I tried to find it in one of my books, but it wasn't mentioned. It's probably a nickname the clan gave it. But I think I know someone who does."

Kimimaro eyed her skeptically. "But aren't I still hurt?"

She nodded. "You are still hurt, but I'm going to finish healing you right now and we'll take it easy. We're not in any real hurry, and it's not very far."

"Exactly where are we going?"

She smiled. "For the moment we're going to head to the Leaf Village. Their medical techniques are amazing. I've helped them out on occasion. And they have Lady Tsunade. She just might have heard of the flower we're looking for."

Kimimaro looked at her like she was crazy. "I honestly don't think it's a good idea for me to be going to the Leaf Village. I just fought with one of them and the guy from the Sand Village might still be there too."

"Silly Kimimaro," she said with a grin. "You're forgetting that I know how to fight."

"Oh really?" he asked her, a mocking tone in his voice.

She glared at him. "With my knowledge of the human body and my ability to manipulate the bones of others, I only have to land one blow to cripple my opponent. I haven't ever used it before, but I developed it in the last few years."

He stared at her. Shaking his head to bring himself back the real world, he said, "Well go on and heal me then." She nodded and went to work fixing his lower ribs. He stared at her in amazement. She had never been that powerful or confident in her abilities when she had worked with him. She had changed a lot in two years.

She finished and told him to stand up. He did so with a little pain shooting down his spine as he did so. She was good. He had been expecting to at least feel a little pain from his chest and ribs, but there was none to be had. She pulled his shirt the whole way down and moved behind him so that she could look at his back. She located the source of pain, a tiny chip in one of the vertebrae, set to healing it. She finished and Kimimaro could move around with no pain.

"Don't push it," she warned him. "You can only use the bones in your arms on our trip. I have too much else to worry about besides you hurting yourself by doing more than you should. Now go eat breakfast."

He did as instructed and went into the kitchen scrounging up whatever food he could find. After he finished eating Satomi walked in. She threw a pair of clothes at him. He turned to say something to her about it, but instead gaped at her appearance. She had on a corset and her breasts looked glorious. Her black hair hung loose over her shoulders. Tight black pants stopped above her knees, and she wore ninja shoes that revealed her toes. A thick black choker covered the curse seal mark on her neck. He couldn't help but stare at her.

Satomi noticed his attention and smirked. After so long she had finally caught his attention. She cleared her throat, startling him, and said, "You need to change. The Sound's clothes don't exactly blend in."

He looked down at the simple shirt and pants in his hands. Loose tan pants and a red shirt. He stood up and went to change in another room. Satomi took this opportunity to eat some food herself. She packed up some of her medical equipment in case she needed it, and when Kimimaro came out, the two headed out for Konoha.

* * *

The journey had been fast, just as Satomi had promised. They were in the village before noon. The guards at the gate had immediately recognized Satomi. After asking about Kimimaro's identity, she brushed the question away, saying, "He's one of my patients." 

The two made their way into Tsunade's office. "Ah, hello Satomi. What do you need?"

Satomi gestured to Kimimaro. "He's the last full-blooded Kaguya clan member."

"You mean the one who worked for Orochimaru?" Tsunade asked in concern.

Satomi nodded. "He did, but I can assure you that you will have no problems with him. I have his situation under control. Anyways, being a Kaguya has wreaked havoc on his body. He has a condition where his lungs are failing. There is a way to heal him, but I have to find a plant called a Bone Flower. I was wondering if you knew what it is and where I could find it."

Tsunade seemed to pause. "Hmm…I have heard of it. But I have no idea what it does. It's said to grow in an underground forest below the old home of the Kaguya clan. They kept it close so that nobody could steal it and they hid it so that nobody but them could find it. Maybe you two could be lucky enough because you both have the distinguished Kaguya blood within you. Also, if you find it, could you bring me back some as well. I'd like to run a few tests on it."

Satomi nodded. "It is agreed then. Thank you, Lady Tsunade. Come on Kimimaro, let's go find some supplies. Who knows how long our journey will last?"

The two of them left the Hokage office and headed to find some supplies. They bought a decent amount of food to carry with them and filled canteens with water. The two were about to leave the village when they heard a voice call, "Hey! What are you doing here?"

They turned around to see a boy in a green body suit. "It's one of them," Kimimaro whispered to Satomi. Satomi nodded her understanding and stood between Kimimaro and the boy.

"I thought you were dead."

"Well, he isn't. I saved him," Satomi retorted.

Lee charged her then. She envisioned his ulna bone being split in half and focused her chakra into her hands. As he ran at her, he threw a punch which she somehow managed to avoid and got her hand on his side. He fell to the ground, holding his broken arm. He looked up at her in shock. "What did you do?" he demanded.

She smirked, "I broke your arm. If you stop fighting now, I'll heal it for you, and you'll let us go on our merry way."

Lee nodded. Satomi undid the damage she'd done and she turned, marching out of the village. Kimimaro followed her, staring at her in amazement. She'd gotten good. She was powerful and beautiful and at the moment Kimimaro wanted nothing more than to make her his.

* * *

**So there will be more eventually. I adore Kimimaro...but his character is a little hard to discern. So if you think he's OOC all I'm going to say is I don't know what in character is for him, so your best guess is mine.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I finally get the next chapter up. Umm...yeah, I really don't have much to say. It's not really writer's block, it's total lack of interest. I have the plot laid out, everything is there and I really want to write it up and post. It's just that I'm being a lazy bum and not accomplishing anythings...except for buying and watching the Transformers movie...which is amazing and highly recommended. Also, I'm sorry that I ripped a part of one of Satomi's lines from Escaflowne. It was the only way I could think of wording, "I love you," without actually admitting the love part. Actually, I think that I'm ripping a lot of this story from Escaflowne...I should have Hidan yell out, "My face! My beautiful face!" Too bad..I'm not doing that.**

**Anyways, none of the characters are mine...that's a lie Satomi is. But Naruto doesn't belong to me and neither do the characters that actually live in the Naruto Universe.

* * *

**

Kimimaro plodded beside Satomi. She had been serious when she said that they would take it easy. It was boring, especially since neither of them had much to say. And Kimimaro knew that no matter what he said, he'd probably manage to make her angry. He didn't particularly feel like drawing unwanted attention by having an argument on the road.

As promised, travel was quite quick. Having made it most of the way to the Kaguya's homeland, they decided to sleep in a hotel overnight. Satomi paid the clerk for a room, and the two proceeded to the second floor where they were staying the night. "Okay," she announced upon arriving in the room, "Sit down and let me look at you." He complied with her request, sitting down in the loveseat beside the bed…which there was only one of. Kimimaro idly wondered if this would provoke an outburst from her. Before his thoughts could wander further, she told him, "I need you to take off your shirt. There's still some damage to your ribs that needs to be fixed."

Kimimaro pulled off his shirt. He felt her warm fingers slide along his back as she used her chakra to heal the small fractures on the backside of his ribs. "You're lucky, you know," she told him quietly as she pulled her hands away from his back.

"What do you mean?"

"To be alive. The damage to your body is very extensive. This job would be above anyone else except me," she said, walking away from him.

"But my life serves no purpose. Why should I want to live?"

She shrugged. "Maybe you'll think of something. You've said it yourself. As long as you're alive there is something for you to live for." She gave him a smile. "Besides, God would never have led me to you if there was no reason for me to be here to heal you."

"You might be right Satomi," he said looking at her.

"You should probably get cleaned up some," Satomi told him. Kimimaro stood up, and walked past her to go to the bathroom, glancing back over his shoulder as he shut the door. Satomi sat down and sighed. It was very difficult for her to be around him. He brought out so many emotions in her, and it made her uncomfortable. But she was here to help him get better, to heal his wounds. And by putting her job first, she could push her feelings aside.

Memories of her time with him in the Sound came flooding back. Satomi had never felt any loyalty to Orochimaru. She had been nothing more than the girl who fixed up the prisoners and experiment subjects. She had wandered away from her home as a twelve year old and had gotten kidnapped. Eventually, she escaped from her captors and ran into Orochimaru. He asked her to come with him, and not really seeing any better options, she went along. Upon learning of her abilities as a medic nin, she was sent to heal the prisoners and experimentation subjects. She developed her skills, and during her three years of secluded healing, she discovered that she could manipulate the bones of others.

About three years later, Kabuto came searching for her. He knew about her ability, having witnessed the result of her talent time and time again. He told her that there was someone important who needed to have his bones fixed. Satomi had gone along with him because she was desperate for a change of scenery. Expecting a simple job, she was blown away when she began examining Kimimaro. There would be nothing simple about healing him.

She had easily known that he was a Kaguya like herself and that he was far more powerful. She was only quarter-blooded after all. She could sense which of his bones needed healing and she worked on them. Eventually she expended all of her chakra. Since she had proven her usefulness, Orochimaru gave her the Cursed Seal, so that she would have enough chakra to fully heal the damage Kimimaro did to himself. She was then assigned to be by him at all times, ready to heal his bones the moment after he utilized them.

The bathroom door opened, and Kimimaro came out with wet hair and his pants on. "You should go to bed," she told him quietly as she stood up. "The process of healing has no doubt left you exhausted." He stared at her, not acknowledging that she'd said anything. "Do as you please, I'm going to clean up now, too." She walked into the bathroom, leaving him to stand there by himself.

Eventually he decided it wouldn't hurt to follow her advice so he sat down on the bed. Leaning back, he rested his head on a pillow and closed his eyes. He was really tired, and travelling while he was still healing was only making him more tired. But if Satomi said he could do it, then he could. It was something he'd learned in his time with her. She never pushed him past his limit and she constantly made sure he didn't exert himself past reasonable boundaries.

He smiled at the thought of the time two and a half years ago when she had lambasted him for disregarding her explicit order not to get in a fight. Other memories came back to him as well. He then realized, much to his own surprise, that he had missed her after she left. Missed how she bossed him around. Missed how she painstakingly took care of the damaged bones in his body. Missed her gentle reassuring smile telling him that everything would be okay, that she could help him. She cared for him, and it was something that he hadn't realized then, thinking she was only following orders. And now he was starting to see it. But he still didn't comprehend the truth behind her actions…

Satomi walked out of the bathroom. Wearing a white robe, she took the position beside him on the bed. Her back was to him, and she snuggled her head into the pillow. "Try to get to sleep, Kimimaro," she told him. He nodded, even though she couldn't see it and pushed his head deeper into his pillow. He gradually drifted to sleep, with her following close behind.

* * *

Kimimaro woke up in a cold sweat from the nightmare he'd had. The flashback of his life before Orochimaru, where he'd been locked up and then taken out to use as a weapon. The scene had played over and over again, the feeling of loneliness threatening to overwhelm him. But as he felt Satomi snuggle into his chest as she slept, he realized that he wasn't alone. To have someone close to him was what he'd yearned for as a child. It was a basic, human need that he had been denied. Orochimaru had previously filled that void in his heart, but he realized that in his failure, there would be no way for him to go back. That left only Satomi for him to turn to and allow to fill that gap, that need for human company that created a gaping hole within him.

He pulled her close and breathed in the scent of her freshly cleaned hair…lavender. Just by having another living human in close proximity to him allowed him to feel comforted. But Satomi comforted him more than any other person he'd been around. He knew there was something…different with her. Something he felt when he was with her, but he was at a loss for what that feeling was. Pushing body against hers so that he could easily be reminded that he wasn't alone, he allowed himself to drift back into a dreamless and peaceful slumber.

* * *

When Satomi woke up the next morning she found herself wrapped in Kimimaro's arms. She flushed, aroused at the thought of being held by him and longing for so much more. But he'd expressed his disinterest in her in the past. He'd probably just automatically held her in his sleep because she was there and warm. He didn't want her romantically. As much as she wanted him in that way, she knew that he didn't.

Moving out of his arms she made herself some breakfast. She also made some for Kimimaro too. Once she'd finished eating, she moved back over to the bed to wake him up. But when she got there he was already awake. Upon seeing her standing above him, he got out of bed and pulled on his shirt.

"Eat some breakfast," she told him. "I already have it sitting out for you."

Walking by her, he moved over to the small table and began eating the high protein granola. "When are we leaving?" he asked.

"As soon as you finish. We should be there by the end of the day."

Kimimaro stood up. "Let's go then." Satomi eyed the bowl, making sure he'd eaten everything, and then moved out of the room carrying her bag of supplies. Kimimaro followed her, holding the room key and his own bag, and he closed the door as he walked out. They delivered the key to the man at the counter and continued on their journey.

* * *

"Satomi," Kimimaro asked, "Why did you leave?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why does it matter? I left because I grew tired of the snake man using me."

"There was more to it…if I remember correctly. You wanted me to leave with you," he prompted.

Satomi fell into a menacing silence. It would just lead to her confessing her feelings, something she didn't particularly want to do. She wanted to take care of him, heal him, and then send him on his way so that she could just forget about him. Sure she liked the attention she got from Kimimaro during their journey. She loved him after all, but he didn't love her, and allowing herself to hope would only reopen the wound from before and make it so much harder to heal.

Satomi shook her head, finally answering. "I don't want to talk about it."

He pressed her for an answer. "Why did you really want me to come with you?"

She looked over at him, ready to pick a fight, but when she saw the look in his eyes, she froze. He was looking for vindication in something, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. She started to stutter out, "I-I wanted you to come with m-me because I…you meant a lot to me Kimimaro, and I didn't want to see your body with Orochimaru's soul. I…it would have pained me to no end. I'm rather glad he cast you aside. Because…" she trailed off.

Kimimaro came near her, leaning in so that she could whisper the last phrase in his ear. He was curious to see her true feelings about him. They stood like that for a while, uncomfortably close, with Kimimaro waiting for the rest. When it didn't come, he prompted, "Because?"

She sighed, leaning her head down so that it rested on his shoulder. He was surprised at the gesture of familiarity and trust, almost backing away from her, but he didn't because this was how he could extract an answer from her. "I…I…" Satomi stuttered, not wanting to tell him her true feelings. Finally she decided on, "I care about you so much. I worry too, for your safety and well-being. You have no idea how much it hurt me to leave you. To be apart from you, I hated it. Kimimaro, truthfully I…"

She was cut off as they were ambushed. A scythe wielding man, wearing the telltale coat of the Akatsuki, was charging at them. Satomi, pondering why the Akatsuki would attack her, especially after she'd made an alliance with the organization, stepped in front of Kimimaro to block the attack. She would take care of him, and make sure that Kimimaro did not get hurt. As she looked at him, coming at her, she realized who it was. Hidan…the foul-mouthed Jashin worshipper.

From what she'd learned from Deidara and the others who'd visited her to have her heal up minor injuries, the man made his attack in a ritual fashion, offering his opponent as a sacrifice to his pagan god. But he was required to ingest their blood first. So they would both be safe as long as he didn't scratch them. She still wondered why he would be attacking her, but she'd never treated him, so he probably didn't know who she was, even if he did know her name.

So she stood in front of Kimimaro protecting him with her life. After screeching out a string of insults the Jashin worshipper began to attack her. Satomi brought her hands, which had bones projecting from them, up to protect her from his assault. But this was a mistake because her bones contained traces of her blood, and when the scythes struck them, blood rubbed off. And then she was caught. Writhing in the pain that registered on her body as Hidan plunged the sharp object into his stomach, Satomi desperately tried to heal herself. She glanced back at Kimimaro, wanting him to flee while she dealt with their opponent, but selfishly wishing that he'd rescue her.

As she felt more pain spread through her body from another wound, a plan formed in her head. She only needed to get close enough to him; she could incapacitate him, even if she wouldn't be able to kill him. Willing her body to move forward, she took two steps towards him. He stabbed his leg and Satomi fell to the ground. Glaring up at him through her pain, she tried to stand up. She was surprised when Kimimaro's hand wrapped around hers, helping her off the ground. "Don't get involved," Satomi hissed at him.

"You need help," he said.

She gaped at him. "And what are you going to do? Attack him? It would be the same thing as attacking me. I know what I need to do." She pulled out of his grip, and ran at Hidan, ignoring the pain spreading through her body as he stabbed himself again. Satomi pumped chakra into her hands, envisioning his spine shattering, while simultaneously fortifying her own spine so that the damage that registered on her own body due to his ritual would be minimized.

She knew that doing something like this was risky. There was a good chance she would never move again if her fortification and healing abilities weren't good enough. But saving Kimimaro was worth the risk. And if he'd get to live, she'd be willing to die.

With a leap she ended up behind the man. Landing on the ground with a thud, she found herself unable to move. He was just out of her reach. He turned around to look down at her and gloat. And then he took a step closer. Satomi smirked in her painful state, for she knew that he'd fallen into her trap. Reaching out her hand, she brushed his leg, and she felt her chakra surge out of her. A scream ripped out of her throat as she felt her parts of her spine shatter.

But Hidan was worse. He fell on the ground barely able to move. He wouldn't die from the injury, but it would take a while for it to get repaired. Somehow, he managed to yell more profanities at her, and he shoved the sharp end of his scythe into Satomi's shoulder. She screamed. The pain she was in was unbearable. She passed out.

* * *

Kimimaro stood and watched Satomi. She was going to die for him, and he didn't know what to do. She didn't want him to get involved, but he couldn't just sit there and watch her die. When Hidan thrust the scythe into her shoulder, Kimimaro couldn't stop himself. He launched himself at the fallen missing nin, thrusting a bone spear through the center of the man's chest, and deep into the ground, pinning the man down. Kimimaro glared at the still conscious man.

With a smirk Hidan retorted, "What are you looking at?"

Kimimaro menacingly snarled, "If you hurt her anymore, I'll kill you." Disconnecting his bone from the rest of his forearm, he stepped back and picked up the unconscious form of Satomi. She moaned, grimacing in pain in her slumber. Kimimaro cradled her gently as he left the cursing immortal behind.

Eventually Kimimaro stopped to give some attention to Satomi. She was in rough shape. He was worried. He whispered to her unhearing body, "Satomi, I can't lose you. I won't lose you again. I need you." And he tried to heal her wounds. He knew very little about medical jutsu, but if he could save Satomi, he was willing to try. After a bit her eyes fluttered open.

Looking up at him, she winced in pain. "Kimimaro..."

"Satomi," he said, relief flooding his voice. "Do you know how bad it is?" he asked her, trying to get a feel for the actual amount of damage done.

"A large portion of my spine has been fractured," she gasped out. "You need to try to heal me."

"But I don't know how. That's your ability. I can't do it," he said in shame, hanging his head in disgust at himself.

"Just try," Satomi whispered, struggling through her pain. "Think of what a spine should look like and push your chakra into me."

He nodded. He would do what it took to save her. He knew what it was that she felt for him now. She loved him, and he could honestly say that she was the first and probably only person to have ever done so. Because of this he was finding himself reciprocating those feelings. He would save her at all costs. She had become important to him. She had shown him kindness, sympathy, love…he would pay her back as best as he could. And at the moment, the best he could do was try to heal her.

Satomi groaned as his hand gently grazed her back before firmly settling on her spine. She felt his hand get warm with chakra and the steady flow of it into her. Satomi let out a scream from the pain reconstructing bones caused, but she knew that it was a good thing. Absorbing his chakra, she started focusing on her spine as well, trying to help him shape it. She felt the mark on her neck begin to throb and immediately her hand flew to it, willing the cursed seal not to activate.

"Stop, Satomi," Kimimaro instructed. "Don't use anymore chakra. I can do this on my own."

Satomi nodded. The primary pain of her injured spine was starting to subside, and she was beginning to feel the gaping wound on her shoulder. She was pretty certain that she could heal it if she had enough chakra, but she didn't, so she'd leave it to Kimimaro. He seemed to be pretty thorough with his treatment. And somehow he was managing to sooth her, lull her to sleep. And that's what she did; she fell asleep.

* * *

Leaning back against a tree in exhaustion, Kimimaro eyed the healed and bandaged Satomi, lying on the ground beside him. He knew she would probably have to finish the healing process herself; she was the one who was trained for it after all. But he'd gotten her out of immediate danger. He smiled at the irony of him saving somebody. The Kaguya weapon, who was only good for killing others, had kept someone alive. And it wasn't just someone, it was a woman who had loved him more than he had ever imagined. Loved him enough to be willing to die for him.

He scowled as he realized that they were now both injured. He could fend for the both of them, but if he would have to do so, she would need to heal him afterwards. She was in no condition to do so. They were in a jam, but he would wait until Satomi woke up until he worried about it. He wasn't going to move until she did could.

"Satomi…" he whispered to her sleeping form beside his leg. He ran a hand through her hair cautiously. The feelings coursing through him were new, foreign. But they were pleasant and exciting feelings. He liked them. If being with her made him feel like this, he would easily stay to see what other feelings she could bring out of him. Then maybe he could find a purpose in life.

* * *

Kakuzu found his partner lying in a heap on the ground. "What the hell happened to you?"

The white haired man grimaced, and then shouted, "I tried to sacrifice a black-haired girl to Jashin, but she managed to escape with some white-haired kid after she destroyed my spine!"

Kakuzu thought about it for a second, then realized there was only one person who he knew would be able to cause damage of this nature. "You idiot! You attacked the girl who has been acting as Akatsuki's medic! We didn't even have to pay her anything because we protect her from Orochimaru!"

"You mean it was the girl Satomi, whom Deidara and Sasori speak so highly of?"

"Yes! Now we're going to have to find a new medic! You better hope you didn't kill her!" Kakuzu fixed up his spine in grotesque manner that involved cutting open Hidan's back and physically reconstructing the bones. The entire time he was grumbling about, "Such a waste of money," "Stupid Hidan," and "Why were morons allowed to be immortal?"

* * *

**So yeah, I decided to abuse Hidan. He was slightly difficult for me to write because I have an aversion to writing profanity. Some stuff I will use, but I will never resort to the level of Hidan, so he doesn't say much. Yeah, Satomi's character is getting more and more complex, and I definately think I'm taking a lot of liberties with Kimimaro. If his character had been more developed than he was just a lonely little child who had been shown kindness by Orochimaru and had dedicated his life to making Orochimaru happy, then I wouldn't do it. But still, I really don't think he's out of character. He's just a boy looking for love. And if anyone thinks Satomi is OOC, they're crazy. I like feedback so leave me reviews please.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Time for my M rating to have some significance. SO this is your warning, the chapter contains a lemon. Satomi belongs to me. Kimimaro does not.

* * *

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Kimimaro watched over Satomi, his thoughts mulling over many things. His whole life he had wondered why he had been locked away, what had he done to deserve it. He had tried to find meaning for his life and that meaning had first come in the form of fighting and then serving Orochimaru. He had easily established himself as the best Sound ninja. But that had come crumbling down when he started showing signs of his illness. His body was no longer good enough for Orochimaru, but thanks to Satomi, he could still hold onto his hope that someday maybe he would be of use.

He hadn't realized then how much he used her for support. He had actually told her about his painful past and why he wanted to be Orochimaru's body. He wanted to be useful. Satomi had always tried to make him see that fulfilling Orochimaru's desires wasn't what he really wanted from life. If only he would look inside himself he would be able to discern his own desires. He had dismissed the idea for a long time, up until this moment. Searching for what it was that he really wanted.

He realized that his ultimate desire was to be recognized as a human. To not have to fear being alone ever again like some animal. He wanted a companion, a friend, a…dare he think it…a lover. He wanted to hold someone all night, every night so that no matter when or where he was, he wouldn't be alone, even while he slept. And he looked down at the girl sleeping beside him peacefully. The blooming feelings he felt earlier, started to erupt into full blossoms as his thoughts wandered. Everything that he wanted, he could easily find in Satomi. Inside he knew that he loved her.

Her eyelids twitched as she woke up. It was only about midnight, but their plan to make it to the Kaguya clan's homeland before nightfall had vanished the moment Satomi fell in battle. Her violet irises stared up at his green ones, attracting his gaze.

"How are you feeling?" Kimimaro asked, looking down at her from his sitting position.

"Much better. We'll be able to finish our journey tomorrow," she answered.

Kimimaro frowned. "With both of us being injured I don't think that's a good idea. We should wait until you heal more."

Satomi shook her head. "No, we need to get there. We've already wasted enough time."

"You're seriously injured," Kimimaro said solemnly. "And I'm not fully recovered either."

"Fine…we'll see in the morning. But I'm telling you that my spine is almost completely healed."

Kimimaro conceded with a grunt. He wasn't going to win this argument. He leaned back against the tree, resting his head against the bark. Satomi sank down beside him.

"Thank you for healing me," Satomi said quietly from her curled up position by his leg.

"It was nothing," he responded glancing down at her. "If you are injured there is no way for me to get better."

She looked up at him, cocking an eyebrow. "Why are you so selfish?"

"I'm not really being that selfish."

She gazed at him. "Why?"

"I wasn't talking about physical healing…" He bent over at the waist and kissed her. She froze as his lips pressed against hers. He pulled back. "Satomi, I realized something when I saw you defending me with your life. You love me. And I think it's only right that I tell you that I love you as well." Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled herself to him. Satomi kissed him, the feeling of his lips crushing against hers magical and alluring.

Kissing was not enough. When he brushed his tongue against her lips, she was only too happy to comply, opening her teeth so that his tongue could venture into her mouth. She returned the favor, eagerly exploring the unknown terrain inside his. She pulled away from him to catch a breath. It was not enough for her. She needed more.

Kimimaro pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling his legs. His hands slid up her back, clutching her to him. She shivered, not because it was cold, but because his touch was sending waves of barely contained anticipation up her spine. His mouth left kisses along her jawbone as he gradually moved to her neck, then collar bone and uninjured shoulder. He continued his journey down, pausing to unwrap the bandage around her chest and shoulder. Her breasts fell out of their binding.

Watching them bounce created a fire in the pit of Kimimaro's stomach. Carefully taking one into his hand, he began to massage. Satomi groaned causing Kimimaro's massage to grow in intensity. He took the other in his mouth, and sucked and nipped at it. Moaning, Satomi twined her fingers in his hair, leaning her head back.

He finished his exultation of her breasts and moved to work off her pants. They came down easily enough, and he rubbed his hand along her inner thighs, causing her to moan in lust. He moved his hand closer to her wet womanhood, gently caressing with his fingers. Satomi panted in lust, and jerked her body down so that his fingers pushed inside of her. She let out a yelp at the foreign and erotic sensation that pulsed through her body as she slid onto his digits.

Kimimaro wiggled them back in forth inside of her, slowly and rhythmically pushing them in and then pulling them out again. Gradually he started moving them faster, building up speed. Satomi's hips moved with every thrust of his hands, meeting him in a frenzied way. He felt her muscles spasm on his fingers, and a liquid flow from inside of her to coat his hand. She let out a sigh and he pulled his fingers out of her, licking them off sensuously.

From the look in Satomi's eyes, he figured she was done with foreplay; she wanted to get down to business, as it were. Tugging his pants down, Satomi stared at the glorious member the garment had concealed. Running her fingers across it lightly, Satomi smiled at him mischievously. She slid herself up his lap so that the entrance to her womanhood was positioned directly over top of his throbbing manhood. The tip of it brushed against her hypersensitive labia, causing her to gasp. She jerked her body down hard, his tip of his bulge being pushed into her.

Slowly she lowered herself onto him, adjusting to the foreign and exhilarating feeling of his hard inside her. As he pushed in deeper, she felt the tear, and the pain that came along with it. The pain felt by her broken virginity only caused her to focus on the pain from her injured shoulder so she froze. Kimimaro stopped moving too. "What's wrong?" he asked cautiously.

A tear ran out of her eyes. "It's nothing. I'll be okay in a few seconds." She paused, willing the pain away. Eventually it's intensity ebbed, so with a grunt of determination, she kissed Kimimaro's lips fiercely, and moved her hips to stimulate him.

This worked almost instantaneously, and Kimimaro thrust into her hard, eliciting a gasp from her. "Kimimaro," she whispered, her breath tickling his neck and only arousing him more. He firmly grabbed her hips, and pulled her down onto him. Their body's moved in cadence, each thrust bringing them closer to reaching the climax. Satomi hit her's first, screaming out Kimimaro's name as her walls spasmed against Kimimaro's still pumping member. A few short seconds later, Kimimaro hit his as well, yelling out before his semen flowed into her body.

He fell back against the grass in pleasure, having moved away from the tree in their copulation. Satomi lay on top of his body, running her fingers along his face, neck and shoulders. She hadn't moved her lower body so his organ was still inside of her. He could see the sheen of sweat on her face and hear her panting.

"Kimimaro," she whispered, letting her head on rest on his shoulder. "Where does this put us?"

Kimimaro shrugged. "Closer than we were before certainly."

Satomi looked at his face. "Was it a mistake though? I don't want it to be. I do love you. More than anyone or anything."

"Satomi, it was not a mistake. When you were laying there injured, I couldn't bear to think of losing you. You fill up the gap in my heart. The one that was created by years of loneliness. I love you Satomi."

Satomi blushed and smiled, kissing him on the lips. When she pulled back, she quietly told him, "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that."

Kimimaro smirked. "Ready for another round?"

Satomi was confused until she felt the increasing pressure against the folds of her womanhood. Returning her own smirk, she replied. "Of course."

Kimimaro rolled her over, this time taking the top and more dominant position. They consummated their love swiftly and surely. Neither of the two had any previous experience, but it didn't matter to either of them. They had been always been destined for each other. Two of the few remaining Kaguya clan members.

Kimimaro collapsed on top of Satomi as he finished the second time. He rolled off of her, pulling out. Lying on the ground in the middle of the night drenched with sweat caused Satomi to shiver. She was cold now that Kimimaro's physical contact was reduced. He noticed her shivering and wrapped his arms around her. "Better?" he whispered. She nodded and snuggled against his chest. She fell asleep, completely naked and encircled in Kimimaro's arms.

* * *

When she woke up the next morning, she climbed out of Kimimaro's arms and got dressed. Once clothed, she gave herself a quick once over, checking the state of her injuries. As she had guessed, she was almost completely better. Her bones had been manipulated back to their correct positions as she slept. The wound on her shoulder still hurt, but she could deal with that fairly easily.

Arms wrapped around her waist. She stiffened in surprised. "Good morning," she said, pulling out of his grip and turning to face him.

He smiled. "Yeah, good morning. How are you feeling?"

"Much better," she said cheerily. "We can keep going."

Kimimaro nodded. "Well then, let's go. Off to our homeland."

* * *

**Yeah, it seems a little short to me, but I was just happy that I could make it seem like they didn't just start screwing each other. Ny-meria21...I hope you appreciate this.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This took forever to update. I just didn't feel inspired to do it. Written as a sort of Christmas gift for SithMistress. She wanted it, so there you go. It's flashback-ish. I just needed to get Satomi's past all out there for everyone to know. Since she's important, I thought it would be nice to for everyone to see some of her character development.**

**Satomi is mine. Everything else isn't.**

* * *

Satomi winced as the rut she'd stepped in caused her to twist her back funny, sending a shot of pain up her spinal column. Kimimaro glanced over at the black haired girl in concern. She caught his look and said, "I'm fine." Both of them were still feeling the remnants of the pain from their injuries. This being the case they were travelling slowly. The two had been walking all day.

The pair was making good time, and the journey was pleasant. They both were relating the story of their pasts. Both had already shared these stories with each other before, but to pass the time, they decided that a refresher course couldn't hurt. Kimimaro had been in the middle of the part where he ran into Zabuza and Haku when Satomi had caused herself pain. "Are you sure?" he asked, truly concerned about her welfare.

After the previous night's encounter, he couldn't stop thinking about her. His focus on Orochimaru had totally been erased. Now, all of the concern he'd had for his master had been shifted to another, Satomi. And Satomi reciprocated his concern and care with love. Love that had taken on a physical aspect overnight. Love…the one thing he'd never had before.

Oh, he'd understood the principle well enough. And it was what he'd come to feel towards Orochimaru, but it was nothing compared to his feelings toward the woman walking beside him. She was beautiful, smart, persistent, caring, but most of all, Kimimaro knew that she loved him. He knew that she'd always loved him. Even though he'd treated her terribly in the past and had caused her great pain, she still loved him.

"Yes. I'm alright Kimi...kun," she said, coming up with an affectionate nickname.

Kimimaro smiled. No one had ever given him a nickname. They had all either ignored him, or were too uptight to call him something other than his given name. Satomi was comfortable enough with him now to make one up. "I like that," he said, his hand brushing against her arm.

"I do too," she said, a blush coloring her cheeks light pink. She smiled at him and he felt his heart flutter.

Before he had the thought not to, he had wrapped her in his arms, kissing her chastely on the lips. Pulling back, he looked down into her eyes and ran his fingers in her hair. "Satomi, I…love you. I don't like seeing you in pain. Especially since it was my fault."

She gently touched his face, running her fingers across the red dots tattooed on his forehead. "Don't let your guilt control you," she said quietly. "You are not to blame. You were injured and I did not want you fighting. There were no other options. It was my choice." He was about to protest this, but she silenced him with a light kiss on the lips. "Let's get going," she said when she pulled back. He nodded and stepped back from her, and the he continued his life story.

When he'd finished Satomi cleared her throat. "I guess it's my turn then." Kimimaro nodded. "Well, as you know I was born to half Kaguya woman and my father, I never knew much about my father except that he was an outsider. He was a normal person, without a Kekkei Genkai.

"As I got older, my mother thought that it would be unwise to allow me to live with the Kaguya clan, because they were not particularly fond of outsiders. She thought that since I was only a quarter Kaguya it would be best for me to leave the clan. So she sent me to live with my grandparents when I was six. She stayed, of course, because at this point she had married another man from the clan. He didn't like me. He didn't treat me badly or anything. He just didn't like me. So my mother sent me away. To live with her parents.

"Living with my grandparents wasn't bad. Her father was a full blooded Kaguya. I'm not exactly sure how he got out of the clan's grasp, but he did. It's not something you think about when you are only six years old. But I had a lot of freedom. Grandpa used to make things for me out of his bones." Satomi smiled at the memory. "And he told me how one day I would eventually be able to manipulate my bones like he did.

"And Grandma…she always made really good food. She showed me how to cook and clean. But the most important thing she taught me was the medical stuff. She had been a med nin prior to marrying Grandpa. But yeah, she taught me almost everything I would use to one day combine my Kekkei Genkai with medical ninjutsu.

Kimimaro was listening to the story intently. Certainly Satomi knew his story well. It had been her job after all to heal him and try to find a cure. He on the other hand had never felt the need to know the girl's history. She had told him before he knew. And some of it sounded familiar to him. He had never paid attention to it before. Now he had a reason to learn, and he was listening with fascination, quietly absorbing all that she told him.

"It was only a few days after I turned twelve years old that everything drastically changed," Satomi continued, considerably changing the tone of her story. "I was kidnapped. I'm not sure exactly how, but I know that when I woke up, I was with strange men in a strange land. I knew I couldn't get back to my grandparents. I accepted it. And wanting to survive, I decided to do whatever they asked of me.

"For a few days, I just rode around strapped to some guys back. I don't think I'll ever know why they kidnapped me. I do know that not too much long after that, a man killed all of my captors. He left me alive, and asked if I wanted to come with him. There wasn't anything else I could do. So I said yes.

"So I went with Orochimaru back to one of his hideouts. He asked me if I could perform ninjutsu. So I showed him that I could heal injuries, like what Grandma had taught me. He was rather impressed. So he sent me down into the prison so I could perform medical jutsu to heal up the experiment subjects and prisoners.

"I hated working there. It was dark, damp, and there were always injured people. The ones with broken bones were always the worst. There was no way to heal them. You had to reset the bone and they always screamed. One day I was particularly frustrated with a man who'd broken seven ribs. So I angrily put my hands on his chest and shouted at his bones to get back in the right order. This of course sent a burst of chakra into him, while I simultaneously was picturing his ribs. I was shocked when I felt my chakra drain considerably. I looked down at him. He was in less pain than before. I looked at his ribs. Although it was an incomplete job, at least four of the seven had been completely healed.

Kimimaro interrupted. "So that's how you discovered that unique ability…"

"Yes. It was an accident that resulted from my frustration. But after I did it, I had no idea how it had been accomplished. So I decided to figure out. I studied books upon books on medical ninjutsu, trying to see if there was anything to learn about bone healing. There was nothing remotely close to what I had done mentioned. And that's when I thought about my heritage. Was it possible that my Kaguya bloodline limit was what had given me the ability to perform that type of Jutsu?

"I knew at this point that I had no real ability at actually using my bones to fight. I'd tried. And I could only ever manage to make the bones in my forearm to actually get out of my skin. I could fortify and strengthen my others at will, but I couldn't change their shape. But I found it very interesting that my bloodline trait had manifested itself in such a peculiar manner. Regardless of how interesting I found it, I took advantage of it and tried to make the best of the ability I had. And so I started practicing on the many people I had to heal."

Kimimaro smiled. "Satomi, I think we know the next part of the story. Why don't you just continue onto after you left Orochimaru?"

She shook her head. "Later. I think we should stop for a break. We need to eat something, especially since we're getting close."

Kimimaro nodded his head. "That's probably a good idea."

The two sat down, resting their bodies. It was difficult to say exactly what awaited them when they reached their homeland. Neither had been there in a very long time. Not only that, since Kimimaro had been imprisoned, he knew very little of the terrain and layout of the village. Satomi recalled some of it, but most of it was lost, a distant memory she had erased long ago. Pulling out a bar of grains and molasses for each of them, Satomi leaned back against a tree. She wasn't in much pain actually, but she was sore. She knew that all of her bones were in the correct order. It was her forte and she probably had the most perfectly aligned bones in the world. What was really causing the pain was her muscles. She was unused to physical activity and travelling and fighting had caused her muscles to be put into motion. The new amount of activity was truly why she hurt.

Kimimaro on the other hand had bruises on his muscles and organs. His bones had been healed, but the damage they'd caused on the inside still gave him pain. It was obvious that this had happened, seeing how he was plagued with internal bruises that wouldn't heal due to the Kekkei Genkai. He let out sigh as he leaned back on the ground.

Satomi raised her eyebrows as she looked over at him. "Maybe we should continue," she said quietly as she put the last of the high energy food in her mouth.

"Let's just continue our break. It's not like there is anyone who is trying to stop us," he said from his position.

"The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get what we need and the sooner I'll be able to heal you," Satomi said, not really wanting to force him into continuing when he didn't want to.

"Come here," was his only response, so she moved over to him. He reached up and ran his finger along her jaw line, down her neck and eventually resting it at the nape of her neck. "We are in no hurry. I'm not going to just die. Not now. I have something to live for." He smiled at her.

Satomi sighed. "I know. And I have complete faith in your strength. But I want to be sure. I don't like leaving things in the hands of others. Especially something as specialized as this, when I am the specialist."

Kimimaro moved his hand down, brushing over her breasts as he brought it back to rest on his own stomach. Satomi kept her face straight, not showing any indication at how his touch in a sensitive area such as her chest was affecting her. "Why don't you continue your story?"

She thought for a moment and decided it was a fair enough request. "Fine. But since you refuse to continue, I'm telling the other part…with us."

He closed his eyes. "Fine. It's your story."

"Okay…I guess I'll just go to the part with Kabuto. He came and got me after three years of my service for a healing that required my unique ability. He had been watching my progress after all. So he brought me up, and showed me you. It was when you were only beginning to show signs of the illness. And since you were Kaguya they figured I would know what to do. And when I used my chakra to see your bones, they were in such bad condition. It was a daunting task to be sure. But I knew I had to do it. You were like me. The only person who I'd ever met who had the same background as me.

"So from the very beginning I felt connected to you. But yeah…Orochimaru saw my promise, and gifted me with this," she indicated the cursed seal mark on her neck. "It was to increase my chakra reserves, so that I could heal more of you, faster. And I did use it, a lot back then. But every time I went to second stage I lost control. I'd black out and be a mindless, powerful being. You probably remember those few times it happened."

Kimimaro nodded. He had been able to stop her those few times. And he'd berate her for going into second stage and putting the mission in danger. He had thought of her as a nuisance then. Satomi nodded. "I thought so. Anyways, I learned to not like using the cursed seal. Even in first stage, my control started to slip. And while I could heal more, it wasn't as clean of a healing. I made more mistakes while using the seal. Eventually I just stopped using it. But that was after I'd left."

Kimimaro let out a soft sigh. "Are you listening to me?" Satomi asked.

He opened his eyes. "Of course. I didn't fall asleep."

"Come on, let's go. I'm tired of telling the story. Plus the next part is a little lengthy, since it's what I did after I left Orochimaru. And we are almost to our destination. Let's just get there, set up camp, and I'll tell the rest to you then."

Kimimaro sighed, sitting up. "Fine. But it better be worth it."

So the two continued their travels, heading west on their journey to their homeland. The sun was starting to sink, and it was then that Satomi announced that they had made it. Their journey hadn't been in silence though. They had talked about their time together, when they had served Orochimaru. They also spoke of their future and what was like awaiting them when they found the underground lair that housed the flower they so desperately needed.

They set up camp beside a stream, which they found to contain fish. Feeling the need to have an actual meal, Satomi made a fire while Kimimaro tried his hand at fishing. He managed to catch four by the time Satomi had the fire blazing. So he proceeded to gut his catch, cleaning them out by cutting them open with a kunai and then shaving off the scales. He handed the prepared fish to Satomi, who found a stick to tie them too. She bound them to the stick with a leather strap and then propped the stick over the fire. The fish cooked slowly, taking about thirty minutes. The two ate, enjoying the hot food.

Satomi sighed in contentment, laying back on the cool grass and watching as daylight faded into black. She closed her eyes, entertaining the idea of falling asleep. But she was interrupted from this when she felt Kimimaro lay down beside her. "You never finished," he said as he put his hand on her stomach.

With a nod she continued her tale. "Well after I left, I didn't really have any idea what to do with myself. I was still trying to find a cure for you, because it bothered me that I couldn't. I travelled around a bit, taking in different cultures and learning different medical things. I was in Fire Country and that's when I met Tsunade. She was the most advanced med nin I'd ever met. And so I convinced her to let me stay with her, not as an apprentice for I already knew what I was doing, but as an assistant, one who could heal up bones for her, and pick up some knowledge along the way.

"It was a good trade off. I healed the bones quickly and she could deal with the pain and other injuries. We worked well together. And along with Shizune, we were probably the strongest group of med nins ever assembled. She knew I was a missing sound nin though. It was strange how she just accepted it after asking very few questions about Orochimaru and the location of the hideout. She hadn't really seemed interested. They were teammates, you know?" she asked Kimimaro.

"I think it was mentioned once to me," he said quietly, moving himself so that he could pull Satomi against him.

"Well, yeah. So they had searched for him, trying get him back. But they obviously never succeeded. So I was surprised when she didn't interrogate me for information. But I guess she was a little estranged from the village then. Anyways, I got a lot out of my time with her, and we formed a sort of alliance. We go to each other for particular medical questions. We're colleagues. But eventually we went our separate ways.

"I travelled around more, trying to find some place to stay. I quite accidentally ended up encountering the Akatsuki. Sasori of the Red Sands and his partner, Deidara, were looking for a medic. Deidara had hurt himself with explosives. He actually does it a lot. But yeah, they needed someone to heal them, and I was there. So I fixed him up and got paid for my trouble. I was at that point still wearing my headband, still claiming to be a ninja. So they both knew of my origin and my severing ties to the village. And since both had an interest in taking down Orochimaru, they were both fairly interested in me.

"They asked for intel. I gave it. And in the simple act we had made an accord. I would be the Akatsuki's go to girl for medical needs. And they would watch my back. Keep me protected if any of Orochimaru's or anyone else's minions were sent after me. I mostly dealt with Deidara and Sasori; they were the only ones who ever came to see me. But I met Itachi and Kisame once. And Zetsu. Hidan, the guy who attacked us, was one who I'd never met, but I'd heard enough about him. Deidara is the talkative type. And he liked complaining. I learned all about the Akatsuki."

Kimimaro shifted his position, moving so that his head rested on her stomach. He gazed up at her, "I don't know much about the Akatsuki other than that they have a grudge against Orochimaru."

"They're just a group of extremely powerful missing nin. Orochimaru used to be a part of the organization. But I'm pretty sure the only reason he was there was because the Uchiha was there."

"Wait…Uchiha? Isn't that who Orochimaru was after?"

Satomi shook her head. "It is true that Itachi had a younger brother. I think it was the younger brother who you were after. But Orochimaru only went after him because he couldn't have the elder. Itachi was too powerful. And when Orochimaru tried to take over Itachi's body by force, the Uchiha repelled him, taking Orochimaru's arm in the process. Our former master fled, giving up all hope at overpowering Itachi.

"I think his objective then became you. He wanted to raise you to be his perfect vessel, but you fell short in your illness. So he went after the next best thing…"

"His original target's younger brother."

"Exactly," Satomi said. "He moved onto Itachi's younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke."

"That's wonderful," Kimimaro said sarcastically. "I don't really care."

Satomi shrugged. "That's about all there is to the story. Other than that, I moved into my cottage in Fire Country, so that I'd be readily available to both Tsunade and the Akatsuki. And I studied too. Other than that, there was nothing interesting. I did see Akiha when she left though."

"Akiha…the girl who's father…"

"Yeah. She's the one. She came and visited me, and I helped her escape Orochimaru. Sort of what I'm doing with you."

Kimimaro snorted. "You said it yourself, he doesn't want me anymore. He probably thinks I'm dead."

Satomi nodded. "It's rather late," she said after yawning.

"It is," Kimimaro lifted his head off of her stomach. He moved, kissing her on the forehead. "I guess we ought to sleep then."

Satomi nodded. The fire was dying slowly, the ashes releasing a pale orange glow. "Who knows what tomorrow will hold for us."

"Agreed," Kimimaro said, settling down beside her. She pushed her back into his stomach. She felt his arm wrap around her waist.

"Goodnight, Kimimaro," she said. He returned the phrase in a muffled voice, and she heard him let out a soft snore. She smiled, surprised by how quickly he'd fallen asleep. He must have been really tired at lunch. She relaxed herself, letting his warmth fight off the cool of the night. She used her bicep as a pillow, tucking her arm under her head. She drifted to sleep, thoughts of the coming day filling her head.

* * *

**This is the longest thing I've written in a while. It's very much a flashback. And I don't really care. The next chapter should get into some action. I'm still not really sure what's going to happen in the "Cave" but I'll probably just make it up as I go along. It usually works well for me.**


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